Austria women ice hockey team fight for future generations

When the Austrian women’s national ice hockey team took to the ice in the Women’s European Cup of Nations in Slovakia in August, they did so without 11 of their top players.

Captain Anna Meixner and the rest of her team were frustrated that the Austrian Ice Hockey Association (ÖEHV) still hadn’t responded to a list of grievances outlined in a letter to the organization last March. Meixner stresses that the players only went public with their complaints as something of a last resort.

Among the nine complaints on their list of demands were the standard of accommodation, having to change in unheated dressing rooms in the winter and not being paid per diems during training camps and international tournaments. They also said they had to make do with hand-me-down equipment from the men’s team.

“We really tried to respect the federation (ÖEHV) and we really tried to solve it from within, without outside noise,” Meixner told DW in a Zoom interview on Wednesday.

“So we had been fighting for four or five months without going out to the newspapers. But when we realized that nothing had changed, we had to take the next step.”

“The final straw, if you want to call it that, was a camp last February. It was the no-heater-in-the-locker-room situation,” said the 32-year-old forward, who, after two seasons in North America’s PWHL (Professional Women’s Hockey League)  with the Ottawa Charge and Vancouver Goldeneyes, is returning to her previous team, Swedish outfit Brynas, for 2026-27.

“Here were people that had been sitting on a train for 14 hours, who didn’t get food when they arrived. We had to go on the ice straight away. So, I think that was when it really became clear to us that enough is enough.”

Fighting for future generations of women in hockey

Meixner also stressed that their aim was primarily to improve things for the women’s national team in the longer term.

“We have this older generation right now and we’re not going to play for the national team forever. We really felt it’s time to give the next generation everything that we didn’t have over the last 10 to 15 years. We brought it up with the team and everybody was on board right away.”

To rachet up the pressure on the ÖEHV, the players also threatened to boycott the Women’s Ice Hockey World Championship in Denmark in November ― a significant moment, as this is the first time Austria have qualified for the top IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) tournament.

“Going to the newspapers,” as Meixner put it, seems to have worked.

In a press release following last month’s tournament in Slovakia, in which Austria came second out of the four teams, the ÖEHV said it had taken the opportunity to hold “constructive conversations” with the players.

Now, Meixner appears cautiously optimistic.

Demands starting to be met

“We have gotten some answers from the federation and we are just in the process of going over everything. But now, we’re happy about the direction things seem to be moving in,” said Meixner, who added that the players and federation were finally speaking on an equal footing. 

“It feels like they [the ÖEHV] actually want to change something. If it stays that way, I’m sure we can figure something out and make it work. Because obviously the last thing we want to do is to miss the World Championship.”

Indeed, in a letter to the team sent on August 31, the ÖEHV responded to each of their nine demands outlining specific steps that had either already been implemented or were in the works.

These include a pledge to implement “clear regulations regarding per diems/remuneration and the timely payment of bonuses and travel expenses,” to provide “adequate accommodation and reliable, needs-based catering” for training camps, “adequate cabin and gym facilities” as well as “sufficient time for travel and recovery.”

Battling for ‘bare minimums’

It also notes that it would seek a “teamwear solution” as part of a new contract with the association’s equipment provider.

While this all seems promising, Meixner still finds it frustrating that in 2026, she and her teammates have had to battle so hard for what she termed “bare minimums.”

At the same time though, she said that if the players and the ÖEHV do actually manage to put aside their dispute, it will be bigger than everything she has achieved on the ice ― including winning the tournament in China last year that put Austria through to a first Women’s Ice Hockey Championship.

“I’m unbelievably proud of us for staying hard at it for many months. There are so many girls from other nations reaching out saying, ‘you know what? It’s great that you’re doing that and we should do the same,’” she said. 

“We’ve heard the men’s team stepping up, cheering for us. I think this is bigger than hockey. Hopefully this will be a big step for Austrian women’s sports and Austrian women in general.”

Unless an unforeseen hitch arises over the next few weeks, Austria will open their first-ever World Championship campaign against Czechia in Esbjerg, Denmark on November 6.

Mathias Brück contributed to this report.

Edited by: Matt Pearson